


Dream Eater

by ThatGuyAlex



Category: Original Work
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, Fantasy, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderqueer Character, M/M, Original Character(s), Originally Posted Elsewhere, Other, Romance, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 5,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27699865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGuyAlex/pseuds/ThatGuyAlex
Summary: They call them dream eaters. Creatures that will come if you call, taking your bad dreams as a meal allowing you to sleep peacefully. After waking up one night as a child from a nightmare, the main character meets the dream eater and they strike a deal. Once a year the dream eater comes in to take the main characters nightmare and replace it with a good one, and as the main characters life gets worse, so do the nightmares, causing them to grow closer.Completed: 12/29/2018





	1. Chapter 1: Dream Eater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally posted to my Wattpad on December 29th, 2018. I've just reuploaded all my works to AO3 now that I have an account.

They call him a dream eater. He first appeared when I was a child, only 8 years old. I woke up from a nightmare. It was storming outside and thunder shook the house, causing my child self to grip the blankets in fear as I squeezed my eyes shut. It was a childish nightmare, a simple one of a monster coming to eat me, something most children feared at a young age. I wished for something to take the nightmare away, to let me sleep easy, and he appeared.

He appeared an age close to mine, perhaps the physical form of a 10 year old. He had black hair with messy bangs and a small ponytail. With pale skin and dark grey eyes, a mischievous grin on that child like face. He was wearing black slacks with a white button up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black dress shoes. Being so young, I thought he was just a figment of my imagination. With wide eyes I stared at him, shock clear on my face. The boy simply grinned at me and looked out the window, thunder crackling once more, making me jump. 

"You wanted someone to take away your nightmare, right? I can do that" He said, his voice was high and he had a British accent, which wasn't normal here in Maine. I gave a small nod, unknowing what to say. "I can do it, for a deal" The boy said, the mischievous look appearing back on his face. "What deal?" I asked, my voice high and squeaky back then. "They call my kind dream eaters. It's pretty self explanatory, I take away your bad dreams and eat them for myself, then you can sleep easily." He said, walking over to me. As I just wanted my nightmare to go away, scared of the monster haunting my mind, I nodded. He let out a giggle, clearly happy with my decision. "Let's seal it then" He said with a grin and offered me his pinky. I glanced up at him before locking out pinkies together. He let go and covered my eyes with his hands. "Go back to sleep. You won't have bad dreams tonight" He said, his voice calm, soothing my child self to sleep. When I woke up the next day he was gone, but I didn't get a nightmare that night. I waved it off as me being delirious, since it was so late at night, unknowing that I'd see him again.


	2. Chapter 2: Bad Dreams

I was 9 years old, and had awoken around 2 AM from a nightmare. I had been getting bullied at school that year, and had a nightmare of my bullies making fun of me in front of the entire school, causing everyone around me to laugh as I crumbled to the ground in embarrassment. I sat up in a cold sweat before rubbing my eyes, a memory of the boy flashing in my mind. I shut my eyes and thought of him, asking once more for someone to take the bad dreams away.

"Again?" I heard a familiar voice say, and I opened my eyes to see the boy. He had the same grin on his face, and his eyes were lit up happily as he looked at me. I gave a small nod and he walked over. "Don't talk much, do you?" He asked and I flushed in embarrassment, while he gave a small laugh. "Do you remember last time?" He asked and I nodded. "Good! Then you'll know how this goes" He said, offering his pinky once more. We pinky promised, something childish yet fit for our young age. He had me lay down and I looked up at him. He seemed to age a year, and it seemed he would always be 2 years older than me.

I kept that mental image of him as he smiled down at me before he covered my eyes with his hands, and I let myself drift into sleep. I woke up and this time wasn't surprised when the boy wasn't there, or that I didn't have any nightmares after. Mom came into my room, telling me to get ready for school. I got up and got ready before getting in the car for school, thinking of the boy as we drove down the road, the trees passing by as I soon the moon still out. I looked at the moon, it was partially hidden by the clouds but still visible, and I could've sworn I saw something in the sky, hovering by the moon and looking down at me.


	3. Chapter 3: Story Time

I was 10 when I realized my fear of drowning, despite being able to swim. I quickly sat up, now awake from the horrid dream, drenched in sweat. My breathing was heavy as I got out of bed, going downstairs to get water, hoping it'd help. When I came back into my room I saw the boy sitting on my bed, legs crossed and a smirk on his face. "How-" I started, confused as why he was here when I didn't ask for him. "You wanted me here, right? It was in the back of your mind, even if you didn't realize it" He said, getting up and walking over to me.

"Well?" He asked and I nodded, letting him take the glass of water and locking pinkies with me much more, then placing the glass of water on my nightstand. He lead me to my bed and pulled the covers over me with a smile. "Read me a story" I blurted out, causing the boy to raise his eyebrow in curiosity. "All right" He said, going to my bookshelf and tracing through the bookshelf with his finger. He grabbed "Alice in Wonderland" and pulled my desk chair over to my bed, sitting down.

I tried to stay awake as long as possible, watching him and listening to his soft voice with an accent reading, but it seemed impossible to stay awake. As my eyes began to flutter close I took one last look at him. He was watching me with a smirk, and he shut the book. He got up and put the book and chair back, before walking back to me and softly moving my hair from my forehead. "Sweet dreams." He said with a grin as he licked his lips, and I fell asleep.

Awaking the next day, no trace the other was even there, I got up and raced to the computer. I looked up a dream eater and read stories of a Japanese myth, a creature that would slip into your room and eat your dreams, good or bad, but if you got greedy and called upon the creature too many times he would come and eat your soul instead.

I frowned as I thought back of the boy, now scared that he'd eat my soul if I called upon him too many times. As I went through the rest of the day I blocked the dream eater from my mind, refusing to think about him. It went well, until my next nightmare.


	4. Chapter 4: Faint Kisses

A year passed before I saw the boy again. Waking up from my nightmare, now 11 years old, I sat up in bed and ran my hands through my hair. The nightmare had been about the boy, coming into my room and eating my soul when I got too greedy upon calling him. I hadn't thought about him in awhile, so I was confused as why I suddenly had a nightmare. It seemed I never truly forgot him, just pushed him to the back of my mind.

There was a tap on my window, causing me to look over. I saw a pair of grey eyes looking at me with messy black hair, the back in a ponytail. I pushed the covers aside and got up, walking over to the window and opening it for the boy. "I wouldn't have thought I was your nightmare" He said, almost seeming offended as he pouted like a child. "You eat people's souls" I said, looking up at him. "Only if people get too greedy! I only come here once a year. I wouldn't take your soul, I like you" He argued back, but his last statement confused me. 

He seemed to notice my confused look. "I meant even if you called on me a lot, I wouldn't eat your soul. You're..interesting, but I don't know why" He said, pouting once more, seemingly frustrated with himself. "Anyways!" He said, so sudden that I jumped. "Another story?" He asked and I nodded, offering my pinky. He grinned as we struck another deal, just like every year. I laid in bed, pulling the covers over myself as he grabbed a book and my chair, sitting down. Now he had "Where the Wild Things Are". As soon as he started reading I felt myself get tired, as if he was casting some sort of sleep spell on me with just his voice. I began to lull to sleep just as he finished the book, surprising myself that I was able to stay awake for so long, and the dream eater got up. He made sure the blanket was over me and secure before watching me with curious eyes. My eyes closed as I felt something soft appear before quickly disappearing on my forehead, and I fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Problem Solver

I tried to tell one of my close friends about the dream eating boy, but she just laughed and told me it was a silly started. When I insisted that the boy was real she called me a liar and a psycho in front of the class. My face reddened as she told the rest of the class about my "insane story", and the entire class laughed at me. Not even the teacher helped as I felt tears well up in my eyes and I rushed out of the class to the bathroom. The rest of the day was miserable, as it was spent hiding from the other children so they couldn't make fun of me.

When Mom told me it was time for bed, I refused. I knew I'd have a nightmare about what happened, and I didn't want to see the boy again, he was the cause for this problem. I was angry at him for making this happen, but Mom forced me to go to sleep, saying I'd be in trouble if I didn't. I wasn't surprised when I bolted up in the dead of night, just having awoken from a nightmare about the situation from school, but 10 times worse.

The boy was leaning against the wall, crossed arms and watching me, directly across from my bed. I turned away from him this time, not wanting to see him. "What's wrong?" He asked, concern creeping into his voice. "It's your fault!" I snapped, turning to him and glaring. He frowned at my sudden outburst of anger, walking over to me and sitting on the bed. "The kids at school didn't believe me when I told them about you." I grumbled, looking down so I wouldn't have to lock eyes with the other. "Of course they don't, they've never seen me!" He exclaimed, as if it was obvious. "Tell you what, I can fix your problem. I'll go to them tonight, after you fall asleep, then they'll leave you alone since they'll know about me!" He said with a grin. I looked up at him, still thinking it through. "Fine" I mumbled and he flashed a smile at me before offering me his pinky, and we sealed the deal.

I laid down once more as he skimmed through my bookshelf. My tastes had begun to change when it came to books, I no longer had short childrens books, but fantasy chapter books. He grabbed the first "Harry Potter" book, looking it over, front and back. The only children's books still on my shelf were "Alice in Wonderland" and "Where the Wild Things Are". He sat down by my bed side and opened the book, beginning to read. The room was filled with his calming and smooth voice, his accent slipping through more on some words than others. The only source of light was the moon through my open window, casting a bluish white light through the room. I closed my eyes and fell asleep as he read, not even a few chapters in, and he smiled as he looked down at me.

The kids didn't bully me anymore. After that night they suddenly stopped, and acted as if nothing happened. I didn't know what the boy had done, but I didn't mind as it didn't seem like anything bad had happened. All I knew was that he had gone to a few kids in my class that night, and the trouble went away after that.


	6. Chapter 6: Saddened Dreams

I was 13 when my mother died. She passed away from a terminal illness, and it devastated me and my father. Instead of mourning and moving on, my dad began to fill his days with alcohol. He wasn't home much, he spent most nights at the bar, only stumbling into the house around 3 AM and crashing asleep on the couch. As I slipped into bed and pulled the covers over myself I thought of my mother, and tears slipped out of my eyes and onto my cheeks, running down them onto my pillow.

I cried myself to sleep that night, but I didn't wake up as normal. I was shaken awake, and when I opened my eyes I saw the boy looking down at me with a saddened expression. I was confused as why he was there. I didn't have a nightmare, right?

"You had a bad dream, but not a nightmare" He said, his tone full of sadness. That had been true. I dreamed of my mother, wishing her to come back and fix my father, but it wasn't a nightmare. Simply a sad dream that wouldn't come true. "I can read to you, if you'd like" He said, trying to help. "But the deal" I said quietly, frowning. "It wasn't a nightmare, so I won't eat tonight, just help you sleep. No deal needed" He said, grabbing a book from my shelf. "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".

"Why do you always come to me, every year?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. "Hm..I don't really know. I guess cause I like you, and it's fun" He said, smiling happily at me. I liked that smile on him, much better than the frown and dull grey eyes he had when he had that saddened expression on his face. He read to me and I quickly began falling to sleep. Just as I had started falling to sleep he leaned over and kissed my forehead, so soft and quick it was almost like it didn't happen. "Sweet dreams" He whispered, a smirk on his lips as if we had some shared secret that we couldn't tell anyone. I fell asleep and he was gone without a trace, just like every year.


	7. Chapter 7: Our World

Now 14, puberty was troubling me. With a large amount of acne, and hair in places that I didn't think hair could grow, I was not happy. My father still hadn't gotten better, now even worse. He had started getting angry because of the alcohol, but wouldn't stop drinking. First it was minimal, yelling when I did something wrong or warning me to stop with a threatening tone. It got worse, as the anger turned to rage he began throwing and breaking things. That night he threw a plate at me, angry that I hadn't finished my food. Luckily as it shattered, nothing pierced my skin, but it still pained me as I looked at my father in fear before retreating to my room.

I hid under my blanket, letting it wrap around me as if it'd protect me from the rest of the world. I knew it seemed childish, but I let myself live in that childish desire as I lulled off to sleep. This night I was woken up thrashing. I kicked and fought against whatever was trying to force me awake, before my eyes snapped open to meet dark grey ones. I had had a nightmare of my father, it wasn't the first time but it was definitely the worst one so far.

The boy said nothing as he grabbed a book from my shelf, "Half Bad", and sat on the bed next to me, not bothering to pull up a chair. I watched him and noticed his change. He had definitely grown, he had the physical age of a 16 year old, but he still had that childlike charm to him. He was still skinny, but had grown taller and seemed more masculine, even without facial or body hair in sight. It seemed he'd always have that childish grin and mischievous look in his eyes, looking as if he just pulled a prank on someone and hadn't been caught, happy with his achievement.

"Can you lay with me this time?" I asked softly. I wanted to be held in someone's arms, my mother would do it when I got scared but she wasn't around anymore. He raised an eyebrow at me but nodded, a soft smile appearing on his face as if he found it cute. He positioned himself to lean back against the bed frame, letting my head rest on his chest as it slowly rose and fell with his breathing. He began reading to me, his voice the only thing breaking the silence of the room. It seemed like, on the nights he came, we were the only two in the entire world that was awake, as if we were in our own little world that only we knew about, our secret. It wasn't long before I fell asleep. He set the book down and carefully moved me to lay down on my pillow, putting the book back on the shelf and taking one look back at my sleeping figure, before disappearing out the window and into the night sky.


	8. Chapter 8: Fresh Air

I had the thought of running away from home when I was 15. Father had begun beating me regularly, and I didn't think I could stand it. It seemed I never had any good dreams anymore, I would simply sleep with no dreams at all, my mind a blank canvas but with no paint.

I raced to my room late one night. It was around 2 AM and I had been doing my homework downstairs when I heard the door open. I knew I'd be in trouble if I was caught awake so I grabbed my things and raced up the stairs, slipping away into my room as my drunk father didn't seem to notice, simply stumbling loudly to his room to fall asleep. I let out a sigh as I leaned my head back against the closed door, letting my eyes close for a moment as I caught my breathing. I set my work down on my desk. I had luckily finished just in time and could finally sleep, but without having any dreams, good or bad, for the past year, I wasn't looking forward to it. I laid down in bed and forced myself to sleep, without anything to look forward to.

I was surprised when I awoke from a nightmare. The nightmare shook me, more than any other. It was of my father, banging on my door as I had locked myself in my room. The window of my room had disappeared and I was hidden under my bed, forcing myself to stay silent as I laid on the ground in fear, hoping my father wouldn't burst through the door to drag me away. My thoughts of the nightmare disappeared when I saw the boy climbing through my mind. He did it with ease, hopping in and shutting it before smoothing out his clothes and locking eyes with me. 

"You called?" He said with a grin, and I smiled. I was happy to see him, he was like a breath of fresh air, letting me breath through the thick smoke that consumed my lungs in everyday life. He grabbed "Six of Crows" off my shelf and slipped into my bed next to me, letting me curl up against him as I rested my head on his chest and his arm wrapped around me. It seemed like nothing could break this, the secure feeling of his arm around me as his voice calmed my screaming thoughts. It was just us, this was our time and nothing could ruin that. I let myself slip into sleep as his voice lead me away from the conscious world and he kissed my forehead once more, as if a replacement for the childish pinky promise we once did.


	9. Chapter 9: Broken Heart

I had turned 16, an age meant for happiness and love. That love had turned bitter when my first boyfriend broke up with me, and to make matters worse he did it at lunch where everyone could see. I rushed to the bathroom, tears slipping down my cheeks as he had made a mockery of me. The rest of the day went as you'd expect, with me avoiding everyone's looks and hushed whispers, before going home and locking myself in my room until night fell. I slipped into bed, hoping for a good dream to wipe out the terrible day.

My dream came true, in a way. I woke up in the middle of the night, sitting up and yawning. "Boo" A voice from beside me said, causing me to jump away as I snapped my head towards the sound, only to see the boy there, a grin on his face as he giggled at my reaction. I scowled at him and glared, causing him to point and jump onto my bed, wrapping his arms around me. "Sorry" He said, his voice whining like a child being forced by his mother to apologize. I just sighed and lightly pushed him off me, my eyes locking with his. "So, you wanted a good dream?" He asked and I nodded. "Of course, what kind of question is that?" I mumbled and he just flashed a grin, getting up and grabbing a book from my shelf. "Inkmistress" was the book he chose, the blood red book a striking color against his pale skin.

As he laid down and I rested my head on his chest I glanced up at him. "Don't you need to eat nightmares? I didn't have a bad dream tonight." I asked, slightly concerned that he wouldn't eat tonight, even if he didn't eat the same things I did. "You're not the only person I visit, don't worry. I'll just eat someone's dreams after, but don't focus on that right now" He said, a reminder that he didn't just eat bad dreams, he also ate good ones. I just nodded and took a deep breath, letting my hand clench around the material of his white button up. He still wore the same outfit as when I first met him, a white button up with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, black slacks, and black dress shoes. His hair was also the same, messy black bangs in the front with a ponytail in the back, it had simply gotten longer in the back and was tied with a black ribbon.

As he began to read I felt myself get tired, now a familiar feeling, and I let my eyes clothes and he ran his free hand through my hair, calming me. I didn't have to look at him to tell he was smiling as I fell asleep and he read to me through the night, this time not stopping until the sun began to rise and he was forced to leave before he was caught. He put the book up and made sure I was comfortable before hopping out the window and disappearing into the sky, no trace he was there in the first place.


	10. Chapter 10: Hopeful Wishing

Now 17, things were beginning to look up. My father was still a horrid man that beat me and got drunk almost every night, but I looked past him and focused on myself. I was doing good in school, had a part time job at a restaurant, and I had begun drawing again. I had loved drawing since I was a child, and had picked the hobby back up. It took some time to get back into practice, but I already knew what I wanted to draw. It took countless tries but I finally completed a portrait of the boy, though he wasn't a boy anymore. 2 years older than me, he'd now be 19, yet it was undeniable that he had that boyish charm to him. I did a charcoal portrait of him and put it on the wall before moving on to other things, and people online even began to notice my artwork.

I woke up at 4 AM, sitting up and sighing. It had been awhile since I had a nightmare, but this time it was of the boy. It wasn't specifically of him, but it was of him not coming back. I feared that I wouldn't be able to see him again, no matter how silly that sounded. I was shaken out of my thoughts when I heard a tap at my window, and I got up and pushed the curtains away to reveal the boy, hovering in the air outside the window as he waited for me to let him in. I unhooked the lock and opened it, letting him in. "You can fly?" I asked as I shut it and turned back to him. "I can do many things" He said vaguely, grinning at me. I just shook my head and smiled, knowing he wouldn't give me any more detail besides that.

"Your nightmare. It was different tonight, hm?" He asked, but he was unable to hide the small smirk on his face as he realized my dream of him. "Quiet." I said, my face flushing a deep red as he laughed. "Don't worry about me leaving. Just wait another year, until you're 18, then you won't have to worry. Okay?" He said and I nodded. He grabbed "Dance of Thieves" off the shelf and laid down with me, pulling me close to him. I played with his hand as he began to read, trying not to fall asleep. I didn't want to fall asleep and have him leave so soon. He locked our hands together and stopped reading for a moment. "Sleep" He said, looking down at me with a soft smile. I frowned, not wanting to, but closed my eyes and let myself drift into a dreamland as he kissed my forehead once more, locking our silent deal in our own little world.


	11. Chapter 11: Dream World

True to his promise, he came back once more when I was 18. This time, I wasn't awoken from a bad dream, he simply came in and shook me awake. I opened my eyes to see that mischievous look in his stormy grey eyes, and a smirk plastered on his face. "Hey" He greeted and I laughed, as he had never done a greeting as simple as that before. "Hello" I said back, a fond smile on my face as I looked at him.

"Remember what I said last time?" He asked and I nodded. "Well I have another deal for you. Come to my dream world with me. We won't have to wait a year to see each other and you won't have to deal with you father anymore. I can give you whatever you want, as long as you agree" He said with a grin. It wasn't hard for me to choose an answer. "Alright" I said, holding out my hand for him to shake. He gave a small chuckle as he looked at my hand before he gently grabbed my chin, sealing our deal with a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him close even when we pulled apart, and smiled at him.

He gently pulled me by my hand out of bed before opening the window and looking back at me. "Do you trust me?" He asked and I nodded, letting him wrap his arms around me and lift me up before jumping out the window, carrying me through the sky to our own little dream land. I no longer had to deal with the troubles of everyday life, like being late for my job or dealing with my father. No more fake friends and broken relationships. I had him, and that was all I needed as we went into our own little dream world, never to be heard from again.


	12. Chapter 12: Happy Together

I was happily living with him now. He kept true to his word, he gave me whatever I wanted, simply making it with magic, and he kept me happy. I was able to make all the art I wanted with an endless amount of supplies, and was content as he had made us a house and gave me a studio to work in. He wrapped his arms around me as I set down the paintbrush. I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him into a soft kiss and I smiled.

"Are you happy?" He asked and I nodded. "More than ever" I answered as we kissed once more. In the dream world we didn't age unless we wanted to, so I stayed 18 while he was 20. Even as an adult, he seemed so childish I wondered how old he even was, but he simply said he was as old as dreams were, and I didn't ask any more. We could do whatever we wanted in the dream world, and I was happy with whatever he gave me.

He pulled me close and rested his chin on my head, causing me to laugh. "You've been here awhile..do you ever want to go back?" He asked, worry hinted in his voice. "No" I answered automatically. "I love it here, being with you. I don't think I ever want to go back" I said as I looked up at him, tilting my head back and letting it hit his chest. He grinned, pleased with my answered, and kissed my forehead. "Good, because I don't intend on giving you back" He said as he lifted me into his arms, kissing me as we enjoyed our own little dream world.


End file.
